Teams presented to The
President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, including Brazilian FA
representatives as well as those from The FA. The England team also
wore black armbands, and a minutes applause was remembered in honour of Alan
Ball.

It is wonderful to be home
again! Wembley Stadium, after all the trials, tribulations, and
controversy of the building of this Temple of Football, has finally
been christened. As the teams appeared from the tunnel the scene
looked magnificent under the lights, and fittingly, the first
visitors to the new venue was Brazil, the country of the carnival.
Everything was set for a good game and it was Steve McLaren's
England team who almost celebrated the occasion with a win.

To add to the poignancy of the evening a
magnificent tribute of a minute's applause for the late, lamented
Alan Ball was particularly moving.

Brazil began the game well and settled
quickly. With the likes of Ronaldinho and Kaka showing all the
typical flicks and clever passing of a Brazilian team, England's
defenders had to be on their toes. John Terry made some great
interceptions and took on the dominant defensive role with relish.
But in the 19th minute there was a let-off for the home
side as a linesman's flag ruled out Gilberto Silva's headed goal.
Replays later showed that England had been lucky and the linesman
made an incorrect decision. But England played solidly in the
first-half and grew in stature as the game progressed. There was an
excellent performance from left-back Nicky Shorey, who did
everything he had to do perfectly. Steven Gerrard also showed some
of his Liverpool form, although it must be said that the partnership
with Frank Lampard again looked uncomfortable. In attack David
Beckham fired a free-kick just wide and Michael Owen made some good
darting runs into space only for the passes not to come his way.

Much of the play was in the midfield and goal
chances were at a premium in the first half with neither goalkeeper
being tested. Owen headed a Beckham cross just over as England
began the second half in the ascendancy. McLaren changed his
tactics somewhat and he packed the midfield, which did confuse the
Brazilians, and the arrival of substitutes Kieron Dyer and Stewart
Downing also livened England up. In the 65th minute a
spectacular 25 yard shot from Downing forced goalkeeper Helton to
tip the ball over. The increased pressure did pay off for England
three minutes later though and it sent the home crowd wild with
delight. A free-kick to the far post taken by Beckham was headed in
by the captain, John Terry. For a while Brazil looked decidedly
rattled.

After 77 minutes Beckham was substituted to
huge applause, the former captain had made a good comeback for his
manager, and it looked for all the world that England would hold on
for their first win against Brazil for 17 years. But you can never
discount a side that contains so much goal power and right at the
death Gilberto Silva's cross was headed in at full stretch by
substitute Diego. The fans were disappointed, but the 1-1 draw
against a side as good as Brazil was full of positives for England
and the match was a fitting opening to a new era at Wembley Stadium.